For the past four years, he’s been a behind-the-scenes presence, helping craft music popularized by divas Adele, the late Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone—often and wrongfully dubbed neo-soul. When Winehouse released her 2006 album Back to Black, she re-introduced the world to retro R&B. Saadiq, on the other hand, had already been doing it for years. In 2001, Saadiq helped usher D’Angelo to the masses and penned his biggest hit, “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” which won a Grammy.
Since that hit, Saadiq has perfected the art of minimal R&B. One clear example lies on Stone Rollin’s opening track, “Heart Attack,” which centers around a fast-paced guitar riff and a tambourine and offers Saadiq bellowing out lyrics like, “You’re givin’ me a heart attack/ Girl, I want you back/ I just can’t stand it no more!” It’s a simple twist-and-shout anthem that seems to conjure up one of Saadiq’s childhood icons, Sly & the Family Stone.
